Ohio St study: 4 of 26 athletes tested positive for COVID-19 w/CMR findings suggestive myocarditis

An Ohio State study of 26 athletes who had tested positive for COVID-19 discovered that four of those athletes showed signs of myocarditis.

The study published Friday was done as there are concerns that myocarditis — inflammation of the heart muscle — can be a longer-term effect of COVID-19. The 15 male and 11 female players at the school in the study came from multiple sports, including football, and none of the athletes had to be hospitalized or received specific treatment for their coronavirus infections.

Doctors ran cardiac magnetic resonance imaging on the athletes in June through August to check the health of their hearts. And while four athletes did have findings “suggestive of myocarditis,” the study notes that “COVID-19-related myocardial injury in competitive athletes and sports participation remains unclear.”